Manually folding sheets of paper for insertion into an envelope for mailing requires measuring and folding a sheet of paper with both hands, while the sheet of paper lies flat on a surface. This results in mis-measured folds and inefficient manoeuvres.
In an environment where more than one letter needs to be folded, but fewer letters than would be economical for an automatic folder, a significant amount of time and awkward maneuvers are expended to fold letters. Further, measuring lengths by guesstimate results in uneven folds that need to be refolded. Finally, manually folding on a desk or table does not allow for a space to pick up the folded letter.
There are devices available to assist in the folding of sheets of paper such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,057,070 and 4,421,500. However these devices either only provide a mark identifying where to fold a sheet of paper or provide a very awkward apparatus for folding the paper. Neither of these devices improve the efficiency of folding a large number of sheets of paper.